Illinois Open August 2-3, 2025

In the picturesque suburb of Wheeling, Illinois, Original ITF Taekwon-Do of America, in partnership with host school True Way Taekwon-Do, successfully staged its international ITF tournament on August 2–3. A significant number of athletes from five nations—USA, Estonia, Finland, Kyrgyzstan, and Ukraine—gathered to test their skills, exchange knowledge, and celebrate the spirit of Taekwon-Do.

On August 2, the event began with an open training session and sparring workshop led by Mr. Oleksand Dmytruv, Head Trainer of Original ITF Taekwon-Do of America, alongside Mr. Kutmanbek Mukashev, President of Original ITF Taekwon-Do of Kyrgyzstan.

Over the course of more than three hours, more than 60 athletes from the participating countries had the opportunity to train side by side, refining techniques, sharing best practices, and forging international friendships.

Following the workshop, a rigorous 4th dan examination was conducted under the supervision of Grand Master Vjacheslav Semenkov, Mr. Oleksand Dmytruv, and President of Original ITF Taekwon-Do of America -  Mr. Andrew Jestin.  After an intense 4.5-hour evaluation of patterns, sparring, self-defence  and power breaking, two candidates—Mr. Barry Weisberg and Mr. Denysi Tovstyi—were passed for 4th Dan exam.

August 3 saw a dynamic tournament held in a spirit of both fierce competition and camaraderie. Competitors battled for medals in the Sparring and Patterns divisions, demonstrating the high level of skill cultivated by their respective Dojangs.

In the end, the team awards were presented as follows:

The success of this two-day event in Wheeling underlines the strength and unity of the ITF Taekwon-Do community. Original ITF Taekwon-Do of America and True Way Taekwon-Do extend heartfelt thanks to Grand Master Semenkov, the International Instructors, the Umpires and every athlete who participated. Plans are already underway for future seminars and competitions, building on the friendships and technical insights gained over this memorable weekend.